The present invention relates to a device for providing a stable platform for selected devices, e.g. firearms, camera lenses, etc. More particularly, the invention relates to a shooting rest for supporting a firearm of a hunter while hunting from a tree stand, a tree seat, a ground blind or a field.
Portable tree stands, tree seats and ground blinds provide advantages in terms of concealment and comfort while awaiting the appearance of game and during the process of following an animal with a firearm during aiming and shooting. In particular, portable tree stands provide an improved vantage point when hunting various game, such as deer and other big game species. The elevated position reduces human odor near the ground which can alert potential game of the hunter""s presence. Further, the elevated position allows a hunter more movement while hunting without alerting potential game to the hunter""s location.
Since hunters may travel long distances and over rough terrain in search of game, it is important that the hunter""s tree stand or other accessories the hunter may use be highly portable, i.e. lightweight and compact. One accessory which can increase a hunter""s chances of killing game when using a tree stand or the like is a shooting rest for supporting a firearm while the firearm is being aimed. It is well known that when aiming a firearm at a target or the like, accuracy is increased if the firearm is rested against a platform or support.
Bench-style hunting rests are well-known and typically consist of a bench configuration with an adjustable firearm rest which provides support for a hunter""s forearm and stock of the firearm. However, it is not practical for a hunter to lug a bench-style shooting rest into the field and over great distance given the weight and unwieldiness of bench-style shooting rests on the market today. Bipod and monopod-style shooting rests are also known but are not practical for use with tree stands because there is no suitable platform on which to place the pod.
Additionally, it is known to provide a tree stand with a rail-type shooting rest. The rail comprises a horizontal bar upon which a hunter can place a firearm when aiming and firing the firearm. However, because of their size, configuration and weight, rail-type shooting rests are not conducive to portability, nor do they provide adequate horizontal or vertical sight adjustment. Moreover, rail-type shooting rests are not readily collapsible and therefore cannot be folded into a compact size.
In response to the shortcomings of known shooting rests, alternate devices have been devised which are more portable than those described above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,103 to Wiggins describes a device for supporting a gun by the scope when aiming. The device includes a base plate, an arm pivotally attached to the plate and a strap for securing the base plate to a tree. Positioned at the outward end of the arm, opposite the base plate, is a downwardly extending ring. An elastic member extends down from the ring which has a pair of harnesses attached at opposite ends thereof which hang loosely therefrom. In use, a firearm is held by its scope by loops formed in the harnesses.
Although more portable than conventional shooting rests, the Wiggins device possesses several shortcomings. Most obvious are the fairly limited vertical sight adjustment afforded thereby and the inability to dampen side-to-side, or left-to-right, movement of a firearm suspended therein. The latter is due to the device""s reliance on a single suspension means suspended from a single arm, specifically, the suspension of the elastic member from the arm. Furthermore, the additional time and work required to position a firearm in the device is not desirable to most hunters. Additionally, because the device is not designed for use with a firearm that does not include a scope, the device cannot be used by hunters who rely on iron sites only or shotguns.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,808 to Devall describes an adjustable gun rest which can be secured to a tree when hunting. The gun rest includes a V-shaped base plate and mounting strap for securing the gun rest to a tree. A primary support is rigidly attached to the base plate extending out from the tree, and a secondary support member is pivotally attached to the primary support member such that the secondary support member can be moved in a vertical direction. A resting means, such as a hook-shaped section, is connected to the free end of the secondary support member to allow a firearm or the like to be rested thereon. However, because the attachment of the primary support to the secondary support member is limited to vertical movement, a hunter using the gun rest is particularly limited in the horizontal plane with respect to sight adjustment.
The present invention provides an improvement over conventional hunter""s shooting rests, including those specifically described above, by alleviating the shortcomings of known shooting rest systems. Thus, the present invention is highly portable, provides support for a firearm, and allows for smooth and continuous tracking with the firearm of moving game while maintaining maximum sight adjustment when aiming a firearm at game.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a hunter""s shooting rest that is lightweight and configured so as to be easily portable.
A further primary object of the invention is to provide a hunter""s shooting rest having a suspended cradle for supporting a firearm in a semi-ready position so as to minimize potentially game alerting motion by a hunter when sighting in game and for supporting a firearm when aiming and firing the firearm.
A further primary object of the invention is to provide a hunter""s shooting rest that allows for unhindered and continuous horizontal and vertical sight adjustment when aiming a firearm supported thereby.
Another object of the invention is to provide an effective method of supporting and aiming a firearm from a tree stand, a tree seat, a ground blind or a field.
The objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a hunter""s shooting rest having a mounting bracket and an arm pivotally attached thereto, the arm including a two armed branched portion, preferably a Y-shaped portion, from which a cradle adapted to accommodate a firearm is adjustably and swingably suspended.
The mounting bracket includes at its upper end a mounting plate having an opening, preferably a slot, through which a T-screw can be inserted and driven into a tree, or other suitable structure, for securing the shooting rest to the tree. Connected to the mounting plate by a pair of downwardly extending posts, are a pair of horizontally arranged right-angled brackets. A pair of openings for receiving the ends of a strap adapted to wrap around and fit snugly against the tree are located in each bracket. The T-screw and strap together provide a stable means of anchoring the shooting rest to the tree.
The arm is pivotally attached to the mounting bracket by inserting a vertical portion of the arm into a cylinder vertically arranged within a pair of aligned, semi-circular recesses in the forward facing outward edges of the respective right-angled brackets. A pin is inserted through two aligned openings in an upper end of the vertical portion of the arm that protrudes through the cylinder. This arrangement secures the arm to the mounting bracket and allows the arm to pivot or swing freely in a horizontal plane for smooth and continuous tracking with a firearm of moving game and horizontal sight adjustment when aiming a firearm. The arc of the pivot is limited only by the size of the tree, i.e. the arm will pivot left or right until it hits the body of the tree.
The branched portion, described in the preferred embodiment as a Y-shaped portion, of the arm further includes a detachable Y-shaped connector having a base portion which is inserted into the horizontal portion of the arm and a pair of branches integrally attached to the base portion. Inside the base portion there is situated a spring-biased button of a snap button arrangement for securing the base portion to the arm, preferably in a telescoping arrangement. The button interacts with a series of holes in the horizontal portion of the arm thereby allowing the base portion to be secured to the arm at different points. Thus, the total horizontal length of the arm can be adjusted to suit a particular hunter""s requirements.
A fork is attached to each respective branch, preferably in a telescoping arrangement, of the Y-shaped connector and secured thereto using a snap button arrangement identical to the one used to secure the base portion of the Y-shaped connector in the arm. Suspended between the forks by a flexible elongated material, such as a cord, is a cradle structured to accommodate and support a firearm between shots and when following moving game during aiming the firearm at game. Due to the loose or movable suspension of the cradle, a hunter using the shooting rest can support the firearm between shots and quickly have the firearm in position for a shot with minimal movement.
Once the firearm is in place within the cradle, adjustment of vertical sighting is easily effected by rocking the firearm forward and/or sliding the cradle forward on the fore-end of the stock or barrel for longer shots and rocking the firearm backward and/or sliding the cradle rearward on the fore-end of the stock or receiver for shorter shots. Vertical sight adjustment can further be modified by adjusting the length of the cord securing the cradle to the respective forks as specifically described hereinafter. Likewise, horizontal adjustment or tracking movement is easily effected by pivoting the arm within the cylinder of the mounting bracket simply by maneuvering the firearm supported therein right to left. Thus, smooth and continuous aiming at game in the vertical plane and the horizontal plane is allowed by maneuvering the firearm within the cradle without having to directly adjust the shooting rest itself.